The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has been planning to provide Tragbal meadows in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district to the Army for setting up an artillery firing range, a replacement of the Tosa Maidan field firing range which was vacated by the army after a collective movement by several rights groups and locals.
Earlier, the authorities had decided to hand over land at Tulail in the Gurez area of the district Bandipora which was dropped after taking into consideration the severe damage it could lead to the environment of that area. The Tragbal firing range lies adjacent to the Razdan pass which connects the Gurez with rest of the Kashmir valley. Locals fear that the ammunition used for practice on the firing range will not only affect the environment but will take a direct hit on their livelihood. Aneesa Hamid reports from ground zero.